What Killed King Tut

King Tut may have died in part from malaria and bone
abnormalities, new mummy DNA analysis shows.

Tutankhamun, perhaps the most famous of the ancient Egyptian
pharaohs, was part of the 18th dynasty of the Egyptian New Kingdom, which
lasted from about 1550 to 1295 B.C. The boy king died in the ninth year of his
reign, circa 1324 B.C., at the age of 19.

Because Tutankhamun died so young, and left no heirs, there
have been numerous speculations regarding diseases that may have occurred in
his family, as well as debate regarding the cause of Tutankhamun’s early
demise.

A new analysis of mummy DNA sought to find signs
of any diseases — genetic or not — that could have contributed to King
Tut's death. The DNA tests have also revealed or confirmed the likely
identities and relationships of several previously unidentified mummies,
including Tut's
mother and father.

Artifacts have shown the royalty of that era as having a
somewhat feminized or androgynous appearance. Diseases that have been suggested
to explain this appearance include a form of gynecomastia (excessive development
of the breasts in males, usually the result of a hormonal imbalance), Marfan
syndrome and others. (People with Marfan syndrome typically have abnormally long
limbs and long, thin fingers and can have serious heart abnormalities.)

"However, most of the disease diagnoses are hypotheses
derived by observing and interpreting artifacts and not by evaluating the
mummified remains of royal individuals apart from these artifacts," the researchers
who conducted the analysis noted.

Zahi Hawass, head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in
Cairo, Egypt, and colleagues conducted a study to determine familial
relationships among 11 royal mummies
of the New Kingdom, and to search for pathological features attributable to
inherited disorders, infectious diseases and blood relationship.

They also examined for specific evidence regarding
Tutankhamun's death, with some scholars having hypothesized that it was
attributable to an injury; septicemia (bloodstream infection) or fat embolism
(release of fat into an artery) secondary to a femur fracture; murder by a blow
to the back of the head; or poisoning.

From September 2007 to October 2009, royal mummies underwent
detailed anthropological, radiological, and genetic studies. DNA was extracted
from two to four different biopsies per mummy.

No signs of gynecomastia or Marfan syndrome were found in
the mummies that were examined.

"Therefore, the particular artistic presentation of
persons in the Amarna period is confirmed as a royally decreed style most
probably related to the religious reforms of Akhenaten [suspected to be Tut's
father]," the authors said. "It is unlikely that either Tutankhamun
or Akhenaten actually displayed a significantly bizarre or feminine physique.
It is important to note that ancient Egyptian kings typically had themselves
and their families represented in an idealized fashion."

But, the researchers did find an accumulation of
malformations in Tutankhamun's family.

Genes that are specific to the parasite that causes malaria
were also found in four mummies, including Tut's. The genetic results suggest
that a malaria infection in conjunction with a condition in which poor blood
supply to the bone leads to weakening or destruction of an area of bone killed
the Egyptian king.

"Walking impairment and malarial disease sustained by
Tutankhamun is supported by the discovery of canes and an afterlife pharmacy in
his tomb," the authors said.

They added that a sudden leg fracture, possibly from a fall,
might have resulted in a life-threatening condition when a malaria infection
occurred.

The new findings are detailed in the Feb. 17 issue of the
Journal of the American Medical Association.

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